


Fanboy

by withthepilot



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Meetings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-13
Updated: 2011-03-13
Packaged: 2017-10-16 22:31:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/170087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withthepilot/pseuds/withthepilot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU: Jim is a young Starfleet fanboy with eyes for the Federation's newest hero, Doctor Leonard McCoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fanboy

"Doctor McCoy!"

"Doctor McCoy, over here!"

"Ah...yes, the woman in the red jacket," Leonard said, choosing one out of the many who'd appeared during this pop-up media circus. Normally, he didn't like doing these things, but the truth was that he was the golden boy of the moment, having healed all those survivors of the virus on Tarjec VII with his last-minute cure. Pike had laughed and assured him that it was good PR and there was nothing wrong with that—except the PR was more for Starfleet than for Leonard, and he felt more like a trained monkey than a Federation hero. _Same difference_ , he thought to himself as he politely answered the reporter's question.

He took a few more queries and each time he stopped talking, the hands went flying in the air again. Leonard's eye kept straying to one particular face—a young kid wrapped up in a gray coat that nearly swallowed him whole, plush lips puffing out visible breath in the cold air, and eyes as bright as the clear winter sky above. He definitely wasn't a reporter; too excited and smiley for that. Leonard knew he wasn't supposed to take questions from civilians, that he was up here to feed the big mass media machine and nothing more. Still, when the sniveling suit beside him announced there was only time for one more question, Leonard couldn't help but throw the kid a bone.

"Over there," he said, pointing to him. "You, in the gray. With the blue eyes."

The kid stood stock still in astonishment at being called upon, then grinned so widely, Leonard could see nearly every one of his sparkling white teeth.

"Um, hi, yeah," he blurted. "Doctor McCoy. Can you just, um, explain how you were able to manipulate a previously known vaccine in order to strengthen the antibodies needed to combat the virus? Considering that it was a heretofore unknown strain and all?"

Leonard blinked, taken aback. None of these reporters had asked him any actual scientific questions. How was it that this kid wanted to know the ins and outs of a medical breakthrough? "Well, I don't want to bore the rest of these folks with the gory details, but maybe I could tell you about it after we disperse?"

Just as the kid broke out into another sunny smile, Pike stepped up to the mic beside Leonard. "Actually, son," he said, "That information is classified to Starfleet. But maybe one day you'll be privy to it."

The young man deflated and Leonard gave him an apologetic shrug, which seemed to lift the corners of his mouth again, just a bit. As the Starfleet publicity folks wrapped up the event, Pike leaned over and murmured in Leonard's ear.

"That's Jim Kirk. Smart kid, bit of a Starfleet fanboy. Comes out to every press conference."

"Kirk?" Leonard repeated. "As in George and Winona Kirk?"

"That's right. Win won't let him enlist until he turns eighteen. Looks like he's taken a shine to you."

And sure enough, when the crowd did finally dissipate, Jim was still there, waiting patiently to meet him. Leonard smiled at the sight of that oversized coat and walked up to him. His features were even more striking up close and he looked a lot like his famous parents. Leonard adjusted the knot of his scarf at the base of his neck and squinted against the wind.

"Jim, right?" he asked, just as Jim held out a piece of paper and a pen, of all things.

"Yeah. Will you sign my program?"

Leonard looked at the program that Starfleet had provided to all of the press conference attendees. "Sure, kid." He smirked as he took the pen and signed. "Pike tells me you're looking to enlist."

"As soon as I turn eighteen," Jim said, nodding. "Next week, actually."

"No kidding." He handed the pen and program back to Jim, who folded it neatly and tucked it away. "Well, I'm teaching a lecture this spring. Once you're in the medical track, you can take my class and I'll tell you more about the vaccine."

"No offense, but I'm doing command track," Jim said, all the mischief in the world tucked into his cocky grin. "But I do expect you to tell me all about it, Doctor McCoy. Once I'm on campus, that is. Maybe over coffee?"

"Uh...sure," Leonard said, taken aback by the fact that Jim wouldn't want to take his class. "Happy early birthday."

It only occurred to him on the ride back to campus, as he told Pike about the earlier chat, that he'd been asked out on a date by a _seventeen-year-old_. Well...soon to be eighteen. If that was any consolation. Leonard sunk down into his seat and groaned as Pike shot him a knowing little smirk from the other side of the car.

"Well, I, for one, am looking forward to a hell of a semester," Pike said.

Leonard knew it was insubordination to tell a Starfleet captain to shut up. He shook his head and hid his smile behind the knuckles of his hand instead.


End file.
